🚨Indiana
This should concern every parent — regardless of faith.
We’ve received reports that religious materials were being handed directly to students during dismissal at a crosswalk connecting Shawnee Middle School and Lincoln Elementary in Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS).
According to multiple accounts:
• The materials were distributed during dismissal
• At a crosswalk routinely used by students
• To children traveling between two public schools
Let’s be clear about what the issue is — and what it is not.
This is not about banning religion or policing private beliefs.
It is about adult distribution of religious materials to minors in a school-adjacent setting during dismissal, a time when schools have heightened responsibility for student safety and boundaries.
Parents expect that:
• School dismissal routes are free from solicitation
• Children are not targeted for religious messaging
• Adults interacting with students near school property are doing so with clear authorization and oversight
Even when activity occurs just off school grounds, districts still have a responsibility to address predictable, repeated interactions with students at school-controlled crossings.
Public schools must ensure that dismissal procedures prioritize student safety, neutrality, and inclusion — not expose children to uninvited adult outreach during the school day.
We are documenting this incident and encourage families to report similar situations — with dates, locations, and photos (with student faces removed) — to
📧 contact@SecularEducationAssociation.org
Public schools should educate.
They should not be used as access points for religious outreach.
What people are saying:
- Facebook User: Is there proof these came from Lifewise? This does not look like anything Lifewise would produce, nor endorse handing out. If parents or volunteers acted on their own accord, that should not reflect negatively on Lifewise.
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User To clarify — we did not state that this was LifeWise.
At no point in this post did we attribute the materials or the activity to LifeWise Academy.Our reporting was intentionally careful and specific:
• The incident occurred during school dismissal
• At a crosswalk used by students traveling between two public schools
• In a school-adjacent setting involving minorsThe concern is about adult distribution of religious materials to children in a school-adjacent context during dismissal, regardless of the organization or individuals involved.
This is a student safety and boundary issue, not an accusation against a specific program.
If there is documentation clarifying who organized or authorized the activity, transparency is welcome. Our role is to raise legitimate concerns when school-age children are approached during school-controlled times and routes.
- Facebook User: Secular Education Association thank you for your clarification. I do appreciate your transparency and honesty! I only assumed because the name of your group is parents against Lifewise, and I stand corrected for my assumption!
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User To clarify — we did not state that this was LifeWise.
- Facebook User: Absolutely outrageous. 🤬
- Facebook User: Just like playground stalkers
- Facebook User: And definitely strangers shouldn’t be allowed to hand out food to children they don’t know without their parent’s permission. They have no idea if a particular kid has diabetes or food allergies.
- Facebook User: They were handing them out around Shambaugh Elementary as well.
- Facebook User: This is so sad. Why is it harmful to care about a child’s eternal destiny? To tell children they were created for a purpose on purpose. Christianity gives these children hope in a hopeless world. This isn’t a harmful thing, terrible thing. The Bible teaches love, hope, salvation through Jesus who died to set us free from our sin and give us a hope and future. I would be so happy to discuss this with you further or hear your side of why this is harmful.
- Facebook User: Facebook User are you good with anyone walking up to your minor child and handing them candy?
- Facebook User: Facebook User I said so much and this is your question.
- Facebook User: Facebook User oh I have lots, but this isn’t a priority for me anymore
- Facebook User: Unfortunately if they were on public property at that point there isn’t anything anyone can do about it, right?
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